1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to technologies for lifting fluid and, more particularly, is concerned with a flexible conveyor assembly and conveying apparatus and method for lifting fluid.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Up to the present time, the primary technology used to lift fluids from wells, such as water or oil wells, is a pump which employs pistons, cylinders, valves, seals and other mechanical devices. These mechanical devices are subject to wear, corrosion, leakage and other problems which give rise to inefficiency, high expense in installation and maintenance, and consumption of large amounts of power for operation. Also, the greater the distance the fluids need to be lifted, the greater these problems impact the use of such devices.
Various technologies providing alternatives to pumps have been considered in the past for lifting fluids from wells and other underground reservoir structures. One general type of alternative technology utilizes a flexible conveyor, such as a cable, rope or chain, entrained about upper and lower pulleys and moving along an endless path to raise and convey a fluid, such as crude oil, from an oil well. The fluid is lifted from the well primarily due to an adherence of the fluid to the flexible conveyor.
Prior art representative of this general type of alternative technology is found in U.S. pat. nos. to Fowler (930,465), Carl (1,017,847), Scruby (1,703,963), Kneuper (1,740,821), Sloan (2,121,931), Kizziar (2,329,913), Gustafson (2,704,981), Rhodes (3,774,685), and Jackson et al (4,712,667). As an example, in the Rhodes patent, a lift apparatus utilizes an endless conveyor in the form of a mop, entrained about a system of spaced idler sheaves and advanced through an outer casing The endless conveyor is fabricated from fiber material secured to a wire rope which will absorb the fluid The portion of the conveyor that has absorbed fluid is pulled up to the surface through a tubular stringer At the surface, the fluid is recovered from the conveyor by passage through squeegee rolls of a wiper assembly. The outer casing provides an annular space for eccentrically mounting the tubular stringer which encloses the fluid ladened portion of the conveyor traveling upward to the surface The casing also provides space for the unladened return portion of the conveyor traveling back downward into the well, and as a guide and lateral support for a cartridge mounting a return idler
None of these alternative technologies have proven useful for lifting fluids as evidenced by their lack of utilization for that purpose. They appear to have failed to recognize and utilize the necessary relationships that must be established between diameters, velocity and fluid properties. Instead, they have incorrectly viewed the lifting process as essentially one of adhering the fluid to the moving conveyor Consequently, these prior art implementations have not been successful and a need still remains for a viable alternative non-pumping technology to lift fluids.